Los chicos de la banda

I really looked forward to watching this so-named "remake". Kudos for the production team trying to re-capture the pre-Stonewall atmosphere of the play. Unfortunately, the actors - and ultimately the director - are all victims of the current age where we gay men feel "comfortable" in our homosexual skins. There was not tension, no notion that the party as well as Michael's apartment was a space where the boys/"girls" could "let their hair down" due to oppressive mainstream attitudes about being gay. Furthermore, what was also lacking was - and I say this as a gay man who was in his prime during the 80s before the current LGBTQ "openness" was in full-swing - a sense of "competition", where gay men were always trying to "out-clever" one another with swipes at their identities. In this age of "Everyone needs to feel safe", gay men have abandoned - for better or worse - that self-deprecating attitude that united us back then. Yes - it's good that we don't embrace that attitude anymore - but it's deadly when you're trying to revive a gay play - in fact THE gay play - from the past/pre-Stonewall era.

As a young gay man coming out before Stonewall, I saw the original movie and was blown away with the intensity and truth in this film. It was a pivotal movie that showed me the self hate that we all had during that time, and how that hate manifested in our relationships with self and others.

This revision of that film with a 2020 cast was every bit as powerful and poignant, with an excellent direction by Joe Mantelo. Thank God they did not try to modernize the film and kept the original 1968 time. Jim Parsons is just an amazing actor as is Zachary Quinto who captured Michal and Harold with intensity and focus. The whole cast was amazing.

In some ways the play has a certain dated feel but that does not distract it enhances. The Gay men's community has been a work in progress and Mark Crowley wrote this decades before liberation, AIDS, gay marriage, wrote this when being gay was a crime. Thank God we don't have to embrace the self loathing we did back then. This still is a difficult film for me to watch, very confronting, but definitely a gem of a production.Awards are waiting I am certain!

A bunch of queens together in 1968 is still the same as a bunch of queens together in 2020. Full of gin and regret.

While the actors were all very convincing in their roles, and the art direction was satisfying, I still don't think I got the point of this film. So, regrets and arguments abound amongst a group of gay friends, how is this the fodder of film? Maybe I just don't get "slice of life" scripts. It kind of left me feeling empty.

Funny, compelling, and emotionally resonant; "The Boys In The Band" shines and continues to inspire tons of viewers fifty years later.

In this drama based on the award-winning play, a birthday party takes place in 1968 New York, when a surprise guest and a drunken game leave several gay friends reckoning with unspoken feelings and unknown secrets.

An A+ cast lead by an incredible performance from Jim Parsons really puts the icing on the cake. Mart Crowley's screenplay is sharp, evocative and draws you in from the start. I'm a huge fan of films that take place in one setting and feature a killer script. "The Boys In The Band" is that film. There's no chance you'll want to steer away because you'll want to know what happens next. Even though set in the 60s, everything is still relevant today. It's an excellent look at gay men and the struggles they face daily. I really loved this film.

Follow @snobmedia for all reviews!